In Chauvé and Pornic, the stones would have so much to tell!

We are not indomitable Gauls in Destination Pornic!
Absolutely not !
On the other hand, in some of our villages, we have megaliths rising towards the sky. They have always haunted people's imaginations.

Step 1 – Time travel in Chauvé
In Chauvé, the Menhirs circuit is accessible on foot, by bike and on horseback. The 9km route winds through quiet, verdant countryside. You will be surprised by these traces of the past which attest to a Neolithic presence in the Pays de Retz.
Sometimes impressive by their height or more anecdotal by the survival of their lifting wedges, observing them, we invite you to travel through time.
Meet at the starting point at the La Pauvredrie picnic area, route de Saint-Père.
 

Step 2 – The Lematz Stone
Along the way, your first stopping point measures 3.70m. and more than 2m wide: it is the menhir of La Pierre Lematz.
In its upper part, east side, it has cupules. They are drawings called petroglyphs dug by man in stone and circular in shape. Their significance remains difficult.
Nearby, there are two other small menhirs: one lying by the side of the road and the other in a private field.
 

Step 3 - The Platennes menhirs
Continuing on your way, you will enjoy an unobstructed panorama up to the hills. Behind this line hides the Bay of Bourgneuf.
You will then arrive at the megalithic site of Platennes. It is composed of an alignment of 3 overturned menhirs of a respective height of about 4m. The 3 main stones are undoubtedly the remains of a megalithic monument, perhaps a covered walkway... About twenty meters to the east, you can see the remains of a second alignment.
In total, there are 12 blocks of stones.
The site has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1989.
As the saying goes: "Between the three stones, on the fly of a capon, a treasure is hidden...". To meditate !
 

Step 4 - The Chevanou menhir
A few strides from Platennes, you will come across the Chevanou menhir, also called "Pierre de la Crotrie". It is made up of a block of sandstone more than 4m high and a base about 3.20m wide. The second block, smaller, is lying at his feet.
They seem to be two parts of the same broken menhir.
Like its neighbour, it is also protected as a Historic Monument.
Throughout this trip to the heart of Chauvé, you can discover the lifestyle of yesteryear. You will cross several localities and observe farms and old dwellings with the typical rural architecture of the Pays de Retz.
 

Step 5 – transept tombs of Pornic
In the 4th millennium BC, megalithic architecture appeared around the estuary, the characteristics of which reflect an original style: the transepted tombs.
Their relatively large number in the region of Pornic leads prehistorians to consider this area as the epicenter of a cultural group extending from the Ile d'Yeu to the northern edge of the Brière.
In Pornic, take the time to discover these funerary monuments sometimes covered with a tumulus: Joselière dolmen, Prédaire dolmen and Mousseaux tumulus.
 

Step 6 :   Meetings with our enthusiasts
If you wish to enrich your knowledge on the subject, follow a visit to one of these sites with the members of the Mégalithes en Retz association as part of the “Meetings with our enthusiasts”.
Patrice and Serge will reveal the secrets of the Motte necropolis (Musseaux tumulus), the Joselière dolmen in Pornic and the Platennes menhirs in Chauvé.
Visit event in 2023, to echo the exhibition dedicated to Baron Olivier de Wismes by the city of Pornic, the visit of the Mousseaux tumulus is coupled with the discovery of the site of the three skeletons in the private property of Jacques Ravaut and Elizabeth Donnely.

Practical advice and our good plans:
* Out of season, discover the dolmens of Prédaire and Joselière in complete freedom along the ocean on the coastal path called GR®8
* For other exciting discoveries in the heart of the Pornic destination, follow our guides during guided tours
* To discover all the circuits on foot, by bike and on horseback, go here or in our 7 Tourist Offices.